Cops identify killer of Bill Medley's ex-wife, Karen Klass

Carrie Doyle | February 1, 2017, 0:57

The 32-year-old was attacked January 30, 1976 as she returned to her home in the Hermosa Beach neighborhood, was sexually assaulted and strangled with her pantyhose. Concerned friends who were supposed to meet Klaas that morning went to check on her and called police after seeing a man walk out of her home. Karen Klaas was strangled with her pantyhose in her home.

The family of a Los Angeles man suffering from dementia has been accused of abandoning him in Great Britain, leaving the man to own devices until he was found at a bus stop in November with no ID and no recollection of how he got there.

Authorities said Monday that Troyer, 35, was killed in a shoot-out with police in March 1982, two months after he escaped a California state prison where he was being held for burglary.

Investigators used a controversial DNA testing technique, known as familial DNA, to compare a sample of DNA that was collected at the crime scene and were able to identify a "first-degree relative" of Troyer, Sheriff's Capt. Steve Katz said.

In statements over the weekend, the sheriff's department did not name suspects or specify whether any arrests had been made - only noting that the case had been solved by using "familial DNA, which identified the killer". "All of a sudden, they say, 'We got it'".

Based on this, Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell said the suspect was believed to be Kenneth Eugene Troyer, who was killed by police in 1982.

Medley also said he was "more rattled today than I've been for years", adding that he had always hoped the murder would be solved.

Almost 41 years after her death, authorities announced Monday they had solved her murder - with Medley on hand for the reveal.

Will Lady Gaga use her Super Bowl halftime performance to make a political statement? "It is like, 'How do I get out of this bad movie?'"

The process allows investigating teams to search through databases of law enforcement agencies in order to find a probably relative of someone who is suspected to have committed a crime.

Medley also said that he will head back to Las Vegas, where he is performing at Harrah's, to finish a song about Klaas titled "Beautiful Lady".